Means for cleaning the outer surface of pipe in a well bore prior to cementing



Nov. 26, 1968 c. w. TURBYFILL 3,412,304

MEANS FOR CLEANING THE OUTER SURFACE OF PIPE IN A WELL BORE PRIOR TO CEMENTING Filed Oct. 14, 1966 Cfiar/su W Turyffl/ INVENTORV ATTORNE YS United States Patent 3,412,804 MEANS FOR CLEANING THE OUTER SUR- FACE OF PIPE IN A WELL BORE PRIOR TO CEMENTING Charles W. Turbyfill, P.O. Box 490, Marshall, Tex. 75670 Filed Oct. 14, 1966, Ser. No. 586,860 1 Claim. (Cl. 166-173) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention relates to a device for cleaning the outer surface of pipe of mud and debris when the pipe is in the well bore and prior to cementing operations in order to obtain a better bond between the cement and pipe surface.

In well completion procedures in use at the present time, it is sometimes desirable, if not necessary, to place cement in the well bore between the casing or pipe through which production is to take place from the well bore, and it is highly desirable to obtain as near perfect, if not perfect, seal between the pipe and the cement as well as between the cement and the formation to prevent communication of other portions of the well bore with that formation from which desired constituents are to be obtained. After the cementing operation has been completed, then the casing or production pipe is perforated as well as the surrounding cement and casing so that the fomation or zone from which the well is to be produced may communicate with the interior of the pipe and then flow to the surface.

A great deal of difliculty has been experienced over the years in attempting to provide a cementing operation wherein a good seal is obtained not only with the surrounding well bore wall, but also with the surface of the pipe.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a device for positioning on the pipe so that it may be lowered into the well bore, and when the pipe is reciprocated, the outer surface of the pipe may be cleaned of mud and other debris to aid in obtaining a clean surface on the pipe with which the cement may bond.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a device for cleaning the outer surface of a pipe prior to cementing operations in a well bore which incorporates thereon suitable means for engaging the well bore wall to restrain the device whereby relative movement may occur between the pipe and the device, such means being adapted to engage the well bore wall and also clean it at the time that the pipe surface is cleaned.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from a consideration of the following description and drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a broken vertical sectional view illustrating a portion of a well bore with a pipe therein in broken elevation and incorporating thereon a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view on the line 2--2 of FIG. 1 illustrating further structural details of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view on the line 3-3 of FIG. 2 and omitting the pipe to illustrate further structural details of the device of the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4--4 of FIG. 3 and illustrates the arrangement of the circumferential end portions of the annular collar forming part of the present invention in relation to that part of the collar which extends between the circumferential end portions.

Attention is first directed to FIG. 2 of the drawings wherein the form of the invention there illustrated is rep- 3,412,804 Patented Nov. 26, 1968 resented generally by the numeral 8 and includes the annular collar referred to generally by the numeral 9. The collar 9 is better illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 includes two circumferential end portions 10 and 11 which are reduced in diameter relative to the portion 13 of the collar which extends therebetween to thereby provide a recessed area indicated at 14 in FIGS. 2 and 3 within the collar between said circumferential end portions 10 and 11. A pair of spring members 16 and 17 has its respective ends 16a and 16b and 17a and 17b secured to the portion 13 of the collar so that prior to the time that a pipe as represented at 20 is positioned inside the collar, each of the springs 16 and 17 in their normal position extend across the collar but adjacent the central portion thereof. It will be noted that the spring 16 has its ends 16a and 16b secured to the semicircular portion 22, and the spring 17 has its end portions 17a and 17b secured to the semicircular portion 23 as seen in FIGS. 2 and 3 of the drawings. When thus secured, the springs 16 and 17 are taut.

In the form of the invention illustrated in the drawings, the collar 9 includes two substantially semicircular portions referred to by the numerals 22 and 23, respectively. The semicircular portions 22 and 23 are secured together by the interengaging hinge means illustrated generally by the numeral 25 through which there is adapted to be received a pin 26 to facilitate positioning of the invention 8 about the pipe 20.

Thus, the portions 22 and 23 of the collar 9 may be spread apart and positioned about the pipe 20, whereupon the spring 16 is stretched, as is the spring 17 about the outer surface 28 of the pipe when the portions 22 and 23 are closed as shown in FIG. 2.

Interengaging means represented generally by the numeral 29 in FIG. 3 are similar to the interengaging hinge means 25 and include the spaced metal loops 30 which extend from the end of the semicircular portion 22 and the loops 31 which extend from the end of the semicircular portion 23, with the loops on portion 22 fitting in the space between the loops on portion 23 and thereby interengage so that a pin as illustrated at 32 in FIG. 2 may be placed through the interengaged loops 30 and 31. Thereafter, a projection on the outermost loop 30b on portion 22, which projection is identified by the numeral 35, may be bent over as represented at 35a to close oif the opening at the bottom of the loop and provides a seat for the pin 32. Similarly, a projection 36 on the outermost loop portion 31b of the semicircular portion 23 may be bent over as represented at 36a to close off the top of the outermost loop 31b and thereby retain the pin in position so as to position the collar 9 about the pipe.

The circumferential portions are slightly larger in diameter than the pipe 20 and thereby enable relative movement between the pipe and the collar 9 to occur.

To aid in accommodating such relative movement, suitable means as indicated generally by the numeral 39 are provided which as illustrated are in the form of a pair of rows of projecting fingers or tines which may be carried by the collar 9 in any suitable manner such as that illustrated in FIG. 3, which is not pertinent to the present invention. The fingers or tines 41 are of spring steel material and engage the well bore wall and scrape or clean the well bore wall and also restrain the collar 9 as the pipe 20 is reciprocated in the well bore, whereupon the springs 16 and 17 wipe the outer surface of the pipe 20 and thereby clean mud and debris therefrom.

It will be noted that when the springs are stretched as shown in FIG. 2 with the pipe 20 positioned within the collar 9 and the collar 9 then locked about the pipe, the springs 16 and 17 each contact substantially a semicircular portion of the pipe, and, of course, some relative rotation between the collar 9 and the pipe 20 will occur as reciprocation occurs, thereby enabling the springs to contact the entire surface of the pipe.

If desired, suitable means as illustrated generally by the numeral 40 may be placed on the pipe at desired spaced intervals to limit the longitudinal movement of the collar 9 along the pipe. The preferred form of construction and arrangement of the means 40 is disclosed and claimed in my copending application Ser. No. 537,806 filed Mar. 28, 1966, for Friction Clamp, now United States Letters Patent No. 3,334,388.

Broadly, the present invention relates to a device of relatively simple construction which is provided with spring members so as to engage the outer surface of the pipe in the well bore and clean the pipe of mud and debris prior to performing cementing operations.

I claim:

1. An arrangement for positioning on pipe to be lowered in a well bore for cleaning the outer surface of the pipe prior to cementing operations upon reciprocation of the pipe in the well bore comprising:

(a) an annular collar;

(b) said collar having two circumferential end portions which are reduced in diameter relative to the portion of the collar extending therebetween to thereby provide a recessed area in said collar between said circumferential end portions;

(c) a pair of spring members secured at each of their ends within said collar and extending across said collar within the recessed area formed therein;

(d) said spring members being spaced relative to each other, but extending across said collar adjacent the central portion thereof so that when said collar is positioned on the pipe, the pipe is surrounded by and is in engagement with said spaced spring members;

(e) said recessed area in said collar providing a space for unrestricted movement of said spring members from one of said circumferential end portions of said collar to the other end portion of said collar to clean the outer surface of the pipe upon reciprocation in the well bore;

(f) means on said collar and extending outwardly therefrom to engage the well bore to tend to restrain said collar so that upon reciprocation of the pipe, the pipe and collar move relative to each other; and

(g) stop collar means for positioning on the pipe for limiting movement of said collar along the pipe.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,671,515 3/1954 Hall 166-173 2,797,756 7/1957 Hall 166173 2,801,700 8/1957 Hall l66173 X 2,897,899 8/1959 Hall 166-173 X 2,990,884 7/1961 Hall et al. 166173 3,068,941 12/1962 Kluck 166-173 DAVID H. BROWN, Primary Examiner. 

